Tales of Toussaint

To the Editor:

Meet the king of spin - Roger Toussaint (May 25 letter). He couldn't do all this spinning by himself. He has a $10,000-a-month Hollywood publicity agent at his side eagerly helping him along. First of all, the 4-1/2-day stand-down Toussaint refers to really amounted to only a 3- or 4-hour session for the average worker in which bosses re-read the rules. The same crappy rules that keep costing Local 100 members their lives.

Toussaint says these stand-downs were followed by a moratorium where more restrictive safety rules were followed. What a joke!

Toussaint is lying. Before the stand-down was ever finished, track inspectors were out on the tracks doing regular work without any safety enhancements whatsoever. This so-called "moratorium" is a complete fabrication.

Toussaint brags about meeting with 60 Maintenance of Way officers to get our input on safety. Another spin from the spinmeister. The truth is Toussaint met with about 25 elected officers. He also invited some shop stewards, but only the ones who supported him in the last election. If you are a steward, no matter how knowledgeable on track safety, you weren't allowed in unless you have sworn loyalty to Emperor Roger.

At his meeting, Toussaint shot down one idea after another from the members' elected representatives. Shockingly, he quickly downplayed the need for full adjacent flagging on our jobs because he was concerned it would cost the MTA too much money. Imagine the great militant union president, Roger Toussaint, worrying more about the bosses' budget than about saving members' lives. I know these things, because I was there.

It is ironic that Toussaint should write about working with Governor Spitzer on the track safety bill. At a Local 100 staff meeting on May 21, Toussaint admitted that he cannot even get the bill out of the Legislature. Maybe he should call his pal Eliot Sander and ask him to withdraw the MTA's opposition to this sorely needed safety legislation. But that would be against the rules of your new friendship, wouldn't it, Roger? You have been given marching orders by the MTA not to put them on the spot or criticize them publicly.

If Roger Toussaint put a fraction of the energy he uses to undermine those who disagree with him into launching a real fight for track safety, we could go a long way toward eliminating future fatalities. Unfortunately, Toussaint cannot control his desire for absolute control. By his very nature he divides us.

He has rendered Local 100 incapable of mounting any unified effort against management. Toussaint has backed himself into a corner. Instead of relying on a mobilized membership to achieve gains, he is now forced to beg for crumbs at the table of Howard Roberts and Eliot Sander.

THOMAS CREEGAN, Chairman, Power Distribution, TWU Local 100